1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electric cord reels and in particular reels which have a power drive retracting motor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has been a wide variety of small, spring motor drive retracted cord reels that have been advanced in the prior art.
Typical of the spring motor drive retracting cord reels is the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,619,518 to Charles H. Blanch et al. This has a torsion spring motor on the interior of a reel that is wound or tightened as the cord on the reel is extended, and then upon release of a pawl or latch, the spring will act to retract the reel. Blanch et al also have two prior patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,432,623 and 3,450,369. These also show essentially the same thing with different types of springs and drives.
A further type of spring motor type reel is shown in Johnson et al, U.S. Pat. No. to Johnson et al, 2,530,773.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,400,423 also shows a cable reel which utilizes a spring motor and has contacts and slip rings for carrying electric power to the cord on the reel.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,344 also shows an electric cord reel mounted on a lawn mower. The cord reel is driven by a friction drive from the motor that is being powered to rotate the reel, and to take up slack in the cord as the mower is used.
A combined cord reel and switch is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,924. In this instance, provided slip rings and contacts also form the switch which controls power to a vacuum cleaner. The cord reel is driven by a spring return motor for retracting the cord.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,011,033 also shows a cord winder having a spring rewind motor installed therein.
A remote control target apparatus which has a reel that is driven at the same time the wheels for moving the target apparatus are driven is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,914. It includes a special stop switch to stop the car adjacent to the front edge of the range, and a stop member adapted to alternately actuate a pair of spaced switches, which are adapted to actuate circuits for activating the car to move in the opposite direction. The switches in this instance are mounted onto the movable frame for the target carrier.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,190 illustrates a torsionless multiple conductor reel device which has a motor that will drive a cord reel to retract, but requires a large stand and complex mechanism to do so. It also uses an intermediate type reel and cable adapted to result in elimination of torsional stresses on the cord itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,850 shows a self switching electrical cord reel of the type that mounts a trouble light, uses a coil spring retraction motor, and includes a switch that will shut off the light when the light is retracted.
A traveling bridge with a power cable reel as rotated in response to bridge movement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,209. It has a large bridge that travels across .support tracks or guides so that the cable will be payed out or drawn in at lineal speed which is nominally equal to the speed of movement of the bridge. Cables extend out in opposite directions from the reels, so that as the bridge moves, one of the cables will be under tension and will be payed out while the other cable is wound up.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,5SS shows a reel construction that has a spring motor mounted therein and coupled to the reel for driving it as well and suitable slip rings for carrying power to the rotating elements. None of the prior art shows a simply operated electric motor power retracting reel that is compact enough to mount under the hood of a vehicle and which will provide for the retraction of the reel positively, particularly in cold weather when such a reel might be used, and automatically shutting off the power when the reel is fully retracted.